What to do. I had to try and figure a way out of this, how to put it, seriously crap situation. I didn't even really know what I was up against. Anne, Snake Eyes, another one or two goons plus however many bloodsuckers she had stashed away here. At least. Knowing her, there were probably a lot more than she'd let me see. I wondered if Angus was out there somewhere, looking for me. Definitely. Had he found me? Probably not, now that they'd removed all my tracking devices, which I hadn't even known I had, to start with. I hoped he was OK, either way. I'd have hated for him to get hurt trying to find me. I had every confidence in his ability to kill with effortless efficiency, but sometimes there were just too many for one man to beat. That thought made me feel dejected as nothing else had yet, so I abandoned it and started looking for hearts to interfere with. My new hobby, apparently.
A heartbeat swam into my net of consciousness, and I studied it briefly. Rapid and thready, metallic and strong. Blood feeder vamp? Maybe. There was another just behind him, this one slower and less metallic. Human? It was all conjecture, of course. There was no way of confirming my guesses, but they provided a bit of a welcome distraction, so I spread the net out and looked for more.
It must have been like counting sheep for me, because next thing I knew Snake Eyes was shaking me awake. I reached out automatically and checked out his cardiac impulse. Interesting. His heart skipped a beat every five or so. It was something I would recognise again. Another heart behind him. Smaller, and slightly metallic, but less so than some of the others I'd scanned. I looked up into Anne's eyes. Another one to remember. Oh yes.
"It's time for you to go downstairs, boyo," Snake Eyes sneered. "The grownups are going to play now."
"What's the time?" I pretended confusion.
"Ten to ten," Anne said in a soft voice. "We need to keep you safe." She was looking at me in a way that creeped me out a bit, her pupils dilated and her eyes hungry.
"Right," I said and stood. I wondered why they were dragging me down there right now specifically, and then I realised that they were expecting something to happen. My bet was they were expecting Angus to happen. Snake Eyes looked at me speculatively.
"You've changed."
"He has indeed," purred Anne. I stared at her flatly. She really had no idea. The thought was intensely satisfying.